The Biggest Challenges Facing Hillary Clinton in Russia

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is in Russia this week meeting
with Russian officials to discuss a host of issues important to Europe and the
Middle East. European officials have also flown in for
talks on the struggling Middle East peace plan. Here are the challenges
facing Clinton's diplomacy and what they'll mean for the world.

Clinton:
How I'll Modernize NATO In a speech, Secretary Clinton
articulated a "common vision for the most successful alliance in
history." She stressed a willingness to engage threats from non-state
actors, particularly cyberterrorists and pirates off the Horn of Africa,
and heralded NATO participation in nation-building missions in Iraq and
Afghanistan. "Many threats we face have little or no respect for
borders. Whether we're battling piracy, or the menace of terrorism, or
the prospect of weapons proliferation, we must be prepared to address
new dangers regardless of where they originate." She also emphasized
missile defense and energy security.

Nuclear
Non-Proliferation: Pointless Foreign Policy's Stephen Walt sighs, "Both sides
will still be left with plenty of nuclear warheads, so the core
strategic situation between the two counties won't be affected very
much." However, he says an agreement could still have important symbolic
value, by showing that the U.S. and Russia care at least somewhat about
non-proliferation, and also by proving Clinton's ability to close
diplomatic deals.

Deter Russia's Nuclear Power in Iran
The Weekly Standard's Gary Schmitt fumes at Russia's
announcement that it will go ahead with plans to help Iran with
construction of a nuclear power plant. He insists that Clinton rebuke
Russia for the move. "Of course Putin meant to embarrass Clinton. But
when it comes to Moscow, the administration happily turns the other
cheek."

Time to Decide Israel-Palestine Path The
Washington Independent's Spencer Ackerman says
Clinton must choose between looking past Israel's settlement growth or
pressuring the Israel government to halt. "Those in the peace camp
wonder if the natural impulse to defuse the tension will lead Clinton to
paper over the Israeli government’s plans for continuing settlement
construction in Jerusalem — or whether she will continue her challenge
to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to demonstrate his
commitment to peace."

Some START Progress? Politico's Laura Rozen isn's
optimistic about the strategic arms reduction treaty (START) between
Russia and the U.S., which is designed to reduce military arms in both
nations as part of the ongoing deescalation of tensions between the two
nations. Rozen notes that the Obama administration hopes to have this
done by the end of 2009 but is still well behind.

This is now probably the biggest question in the diplomacy of the major
powers. And one real uncertainty for the administration is whether you
can separate the Chinese and the Russian positions. On the surface, the
Russian position looks a lot more constructive than the Chinese. The
Russians have said there can be a time when sanctions are necessary, but
it's clear that they want a pretty watered down set of sanctions and a
new resolution.

This article is from the archive of our partner The Wire.

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